Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server
Oracle 12c database

Problem:
How write the date to a text file to keep a log of a batch file. For example we use a SQL COMMAND to optimize the controller database from the outside.

Solution:
Use the WMIC function in new Windows to get the date, this will work independent on of the region setting on the windows server.

Create a BAT file with this contents:
REM —- Start of file —-
@echo off
setlocal enableextensions disabledelayedexpansion

REM only get the time – date is found in wmic command
REM SET MyDate=%date:~10,4%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~7,2%
set MyTime=%time:~0,2%:%time:~3,2%:%time:~6,2%

REM Get date and time in YYYYMMDDhhmmss format for filename
for /f “tokens=2 delims==.” %%a in (‘wmic OS Get localdatetime /value’) do set “dt=%%a”
REM put underscore in the middle of date and time stamp
set CTRLTIME=%dt:~0,8%_%dt:~8,6%

set MyDate=%dt:~0,8%

set FilePath= D:\script\logs\Controller_%CTRLTIME%.log
echo %MyDate% %MyTime% “Optimization Started” >> %FilePath%

REM below is call on a oracle command, then in the sql statement will call a PRC_ANALYZE_SCHEMA process.
sqlplus /nolog @”D:\script\db_optimize.sql”
REM timeout 10

REM get new time values when it was started
set MyTime=%time:~0,2%:%time:~3,2%:%time:~6,2%

echo %MyDate% %MyTime% “Optimization finished” >> %FilePath%
REM —- END of FILE —-

Run optimize of controller database schema every week.

The SQL file should contain something like this, please test before using;
connect CTRLDBNAME/CTRLDBPASSWORD@TNSALIAS
exec CTRLDBNAME.PRC_ANALYZE_SCHEMA;

More information:
https://ss64.com/nt/wmic.html
https://ss64.com/nt/timeout.html
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS9S6B_10.2.1/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ctrl_inst.10.2.1.doc/t_run_oracle_batchjob_prc_analyze_schema.html

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server
Planning Analytics 2.0.6

Problem:
When doing a FAP IP, you get a error in the log tab that say the user does not exist on the server.

Solution:
In most cases that is for controller users, who are still in the controller rights-user list, but are not included in Cognos Analytics (BI). Check if user can log in into Cognos Connection (CA11 portal). You can have left the company, and are not part of the Active Directory groups, that are linked to the Controller Users group in Cognos Connection.

Add the user to Controller Users in Cognos Connection, to get away from the error.
or inside Cognos Controller remove the user – if he left the company.
or inside Cognos Controller remove the mark for TM1 user, then his account is not copied to TM1.

If you are not set as a IBM TM1 user, then your credential is not copied over to the TM1 server.

If you are a IBM TM1 user in Cognos Controller, but not part of any group in Cognos Connection, this will give above error. The user and credential is copied to the server anyway.

If you are a IBM TM1 User and also part of the Controller Users group (or any other cognos BI group) then your credentials are copyied to the TM1 server, and there is no error in the FAP transactions log. As you are part of a Cognos BI group, you can login, and use TM1 Architect.

More information:
“IBM Cognos TM1 User group members can access Controller data in a published FAP cube in TM1 if they were granted access to the cube. An Initial Publish transfers all active TM1 users to the TM1 server. Inactive TM1 Users and inactive IBM Cognos Controller Users are not transferred to the TM1 Server.”
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS9S6B_10.4.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ctrl_ug.10.4.0.doc/c_nf102_fap_assigning_permission_levels.html

The following super groups can be created:

Super Group Other – All CCR users need to be included in this group to be able to view anything in TM1 (all users need to belong to at least one group in TM1 to be able to see anything)
UCSuperGroup – All CCR users that are entitled to see all companies will be included in this group
UFSuperGroup – All CCR users that are entitled to see all accounts/forms will be included in this group
UVSuperGroup – All CCR users who have the right to review all closing versions (manual journal types) will be included in this group
U1SuperGroup – All CCR users who have the right to review all elements in the extended dimension 1 will be included in this group
U2SuperGroup – All CCR users who have the right to review all elements in the extended dimension 2 will be included in this group
U3SuperGroup – All CCR users who have the right to review all elements in the extended dimension 3 will be included in this group
U4SuperGroup – All CCR users who have the right to review all elements in the extended dimension 4 will be included in this group

https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21596869

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server
Oracle database 12c

Problem:
New upgraded database from Controller 10.3 to Controller 10.4, then the user can not login in to Cognos Controller 10.4. He get a error message.

Error message:
Error loading Main Menu
System.ArgumentException: Item has already been added. Key in dictionary: ‘6000’ Key being added: ‘6000’ at system.Collections.Hashtable.Insert(Objet key, Object nvalue, Boolean add) at Cognos.Controller.Forms.ControllerMDI.LoadMenu()

Solution:
Something when wrong in the DBCONV upgrade steps.
Take a new backup of the cognos controller 10.3 database and restore it on the new database server.
Go into Controller Configuration.
Mark the database connection you have restored.
Click on the test icon to ensure you have access.
Click on the Run icon, to start the Database Conversion Utility.
Click on connect.
Click on upgrade.
There should be no errors.
Click close.

Restart the Cognos Controller services to make it know about the database change.
Restart Internet Information server with the dos command: iisreset
Restart the Cognos Controller Components, by going to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Administrative Tools. Open Component Services. Expand Component Services – Computers – My Computer – COM+ Applications – IBM Cognos Controller Consolidation.
Right click and select “shut down”. Start it direct thereafter.

Ask the controller users to test to login again.

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server

Problem:
How do i now the number of Administration license i use in my Cognos Controller installation?

Solution:
There is a text file that list this for each controller database, you can look into this file to find out.
The number of administrators, is not the number of users that you add to the Cognos Controller Administrators role.
https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22005771
Administrative User
A Controller administrative user can have access to all menu items.

Standard User
A Controller Standard User may have access to all menus in Controller with the exception of financial change/write access to menus in the ‘Maintain’ menu.

You can go to this folder on your Controller server to check.
C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\SLMTagData\default\*.slmtag
This file is only updated on production servers. Default it is updated every 24 hours.

The initial generation of SLMT files is determined by the settings in the Web.config file at C:\Program Files\IBM\cognos\ccr_64\ControllerProxyServer. If a parameter is not specified in the Web.config file, then its default value is used.

More Information:
https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21380097
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS9S6B_10.4.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.qrc_ctrl_inst.10.4.0.doc/c_slm_usage.html 

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS9S6B_10.4.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ctrl_ug.10.4.0.doc/t_usrunrep.html

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server

Problem:
New install of Cognos Controller on server. When you open Cognos Controller Configuration, you get a error on the Client Distribution Server Configuration.

Error:

Workaround:
Close the Controller Configuration program, and start the Controller Configuration program again. Now it should look normal and you can fill in the information.

More Information:

https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21347320

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server
Oracle 12c database

Problem:
New installed Cognos Controller server. You get a error when you do a optimization of the Cognos Controller database from the Cognos Controller client.

Error message:

If you look into the installation log file, in folder c:\program files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\instlog\tl-CNTRL-10.4-0.101-yymmdd-hhmm.txt and search for error during install, you will find this lines:
Successfully copied file “C:\Users\L-CTRL~1\AppData\Local\Temp\COG_2\server\vfp9r.dll” to file “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9r.dll”.
Self registration of file using command line “C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe /s “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9r.dll””.
Error: Failed system command “C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe /s “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9r.dll””.
Error: Application has returned exit code “3”.
Successfully deleted file “C:\Users\L-CTRL~1\AppData\Local\Temp\COG_2\server\vfp9r.dll”.
Successfully set value “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9r.dll” for key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs”.

and

Successfully copied file “C:\Users\L-CTRL~1\AppData\Local\Temp\COG_2\server\vfp9t.dll” to file “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9t.dll”.
Self registration of file using command line “C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe /s “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9t.dll””.
Error: Failed system command “C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe /s “C:\Windows\system32\server\vfp9t.dll””.
Error: Application has returned exit code “3”.
Successfully deleted file “C:\Users\L-CTRL~1\AppData\Local\Temp\COG_2\server\vfp9t.dll”

Workaround:
Uninstall Cognos Controller from the server.
Then reinstall it again to the same directory.
Check the log file again, now the above two files are installed correct.
Update Controller Configuration with correct report server values again.

Suggestion, always install cognos controller – then uninstall it, and install cognos controller again. This to prevent this and you have to update the Cognos Controller Configuration again.

More information:
https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21442198

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.4
Microsoft Windows 2016 server

Problem:
New installed Cognos Controller client on citrix/terminal server give error when open a standard report in PDF.

Error message:

Suggested Solution:
Check that the user logged in to citrix, have access rights to run the program Adobe Reader. Can be limited by group polices in Windows.